Deaths involving heroin and other opioids, such as painkillers, spiked in 2016 and led to an overall increase in drug overdose deaths in Cuyahoga County, statistics show.

Deaths involving heroin and other opioids, such as painkillers, spiked in 2016 and led to an overall increase in drug overdose deaths in Cuyahoga County, statistics show.(Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Drug overdoses killed at least 43 people in Cuyahoga County since Memorial Day Weekend, the county medical examiner's office said.

Twenty-nine men and 14 women died in the 13-day period from May 26 to Wednesday, according to data released Wednesday by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office.

The statistics released Wednesday do not say how many of the 43 overdoses were caused by opioids, such as heroin and fentanyl, or other drugs such as cocaine.

The 43 deaths included 20 residents of Cleveland and 23 residents of other municipalities. The victims ranged in age from 21 to 68, statistics show.

Thirty-four victims were white and nine were black, statistics show.

Cuyahoga County reported a record 666 drug overdose deaths in 2016, with many caused by heroin and fentanyl. Officials also see no end in sight and are projecting another spike to approximately 775 overdose deaths in 2017.

The spike in overdose deaths is largely because fentanyl, a powerful opioid analgesic, is sometimes mixed with other drugs, such as heroin or cocaine, officials have said. Fentanyl was a factor in 399 of the 666 overdose deaths reported in 2016, the medical examiner's office said.

The county is taking steps to address the epidemic. In April, Cuyahoga County officials kicked off the "Know the Risks" campaign to address prescription opioid abuse, which was touted as a critical component in the fight against heroin and fentanyl.